Table 1 Primary and secondary research questions

Primary research questions

Is the intervention feasible and acceptable to staff and participants?

 • Is the time commitment required for staff to monitor the intervention and participants to partake in the intervention feasible?

 • Are there any environmental barriers to completion of the intervention?

 • Is the content of the intervention acceptable to participants and staff?

 • Do the participants adhere to the intervention and what adherence issues arise?

 • What are the components of usual care for participants allocated to the control group?

Are the outcome measures feasible and acceptable to participants?

 • What is the required time and number of visits required to collect each outcome from participants?

 • Are the outcome measures acceptable to participants?

 • What is the level of missing data within the self-reported outcome measures?

 • What is the feasibility of collecting health economic data (i.e. sources used and time taken)?

What is the required sample size for a definitive RCT?

 • What is the baseline score and variability of the primary outcome measure among participants?

 • What is the estimated effect size and variance for the primary outcome measure?

 • What are the recruitment and attrition rates for nursing homes and participants? Do these rates differ between the intervention and control groups?

Secondary research questions

What are the preliminary clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness of the intervention compared to the control group?

 • What are the estimated outcomes of the intervention in comparison with the control group and are these sustained at 12-month follow-up?

 • What are the costs of the intervention in comparison to costs in the control group?